Mighty Matt Kakaley Spotlight Meet Jonathan Kersey page 2 page 8 page 12 YouthYouth BeatsBeats

JASON TURNER Youth Beats editor Letter from p4 the Editor Meadowlands GM and USTA director Jason Settlemoir at the Little Brown Jug We are living through some crazy times, PHOTO BY MARK HALL guys. I hope you all are doing well and finding some new and creative ways to Inside this issue spend your time. Hopefully one of them is reading Youth Beats. Life in the Fast Lane p. 2 COVID made covering the races this Fast-starting driver Matt Kakaley summer very challenging, so we turned continues his winning ways to industry experts to share some of BY SKYLER KRAFT their favorite racing memories because memories are forever and it’s always fun p2 Posterized! p. 6 to revisit those special moments. Pull-out poster featuring Like trainer Julie Miller, my favorite racing memory was watching Wiggle It Standardbred Spotlight p. 8 Jiggleit’s incredible victory in the 2015 Photos and art from kids in harness Little Brown Jug. I’ll never forget it. racing Matt Kakaley first appeared in this magazine back in 2011. When I wrote p6 Youth Bits p.10 that article, he was just getting started in Ohio fair racing provides education and this business and so was I, so we made a excitement BY MACY HOWELL good team. It’s great to see him doing so well all these years later and you can find the full story on page 2. Smiles for Miles p. 12 We couldn’t be happier that racing is Young horseman honors grandfather back and I’m sure you are as well. As has with first win BY SKYLER KRAFT p10 been said many times before, we’re in this together and we need to continue to be safe and look out for each other. PUBLISHED BY THE U.S. TROTTING ASSOCIATION Enjoy your magazine and we will see l 6130 S. SUNBURY RD., WESTERVILLE, OH 43081-6309 WWW.USTROTTING.COM you in December!

PH: 877.800.8782, ext. 5352 l [email protected] river Matt Kakaley’s performances have always been eye-catching. As a D teen racing at Pompano Park he caught the eye of trainer Mickey Burke, who offered him a chance to race at Northfield Park. In his Life in the first year racing for the Burke stable, at 19, Kakaley earned more than $600,000. “I really never saw him until he started driving for us and at first I was like, ‘I don’t know about this kid,’” said Mickey’s son and Fast Lane leading North American trainer Ron Burke. Fast-starting driver Matt “Then he got parked in a race one day and he still won the race and I said to Dad, ‘We’ll be Kakaley continues his all right.’ You can teach someone to not get parked but you can’t teach someone to get winning ways BY SKYLER KRAFT parked and still win.”

2 PHOTOS BY MARK HALL YOUNG GUN: Matt Kakaley has been one of the top drivers for Ron Burke’s stable since he was 19 years old. Some of his top horses have included Sassa Hanover and

Dorsoduro Hanover.

Since Kakaley made the move up north to drive for the Burke stable, he has continued to win and impress with his performances. At 23, Kakaley became the youngest driver to win 2,000 races. In 2014, he won the lucrative Carl Milstein Memorial, with a victory behind All Bets Off. In 2018 he graced the winner’s circle for the first time with Percy Bluechip and earned another victory with Dorsoduro Roulette by two-lengths with Sassa Hanover, Hanover on the same day. Last season he had 301 showing a confidence that impressed even Burke. victories and more than $7.6 million in earnings. “I wanted him to race her a different way and Kakaley’s career has thrived in the fast lane he was like, ‘Don’t worry; I’ll win this race,’” since its beginning, but for him it has been the Burke said. “It’s not like him to be that confident opportunities that made all the difference. and I was like, ‘Wow.’” “Just more opportunities; moving out to Kakaley’s character has always been the Pocono, the East Coast in 2010,” he said. “When underlying secret to his success, never overly I was 19 Northfield was racing for about $1,600 a confident and using patience to control the races. race and the sire stakes program wasn’t very good. “I’m a patient kind of guy, looking for I think the finals were going $75,000 or $80,000. a trip,” he said. “I don’t go out there being Just to move out here, bigger purses and I’m overly aggressive. I probably should, in some driving a lot on the Grand Circuit, that’s going to circumstances, be a little more aggressive but that’s increase my earnings, too.” just not my style.” Kakaley’s most satisfying wins, however, have At the heart of racing is the horses and come from finding the winner’s circle with horses Kakaley’s driving style is influenced by his owned by his family. compassion for them. “Anytime I win with a family horse, either one “The thing that attracted us to him and still that my mom trains or when my girlfriend had her does, is he’s very kind to the horses and they react own horse, it’s always a little bit more satisfying,” well to him,” Burke said. “They can race a long he said. time with him driving without getting hurt or For Burke, the most satisfying drives of losing their will to keep racing.” Kakaley’s were the ones they wanted to win Between his love of horses and his love badly. The 2018 Delvin Miller Adios Pace with of winning, Kakaley has no trouble finding Dorsoduro Hanover was one of those races. motivation. “Dorsoduro winning the Adios, when he “It’s the thrill of competition and the horses (Kakaley) finally got us a race we wanted to are amazing athletes,” Kakaley said. “Winning is win more than anything and to do it with him like nothing else. After a stakes race, after you hit (Dorsoduro Hanover) was cool,” Burke said. the wire, and it’s just you and the horse and you Another one of those races was the 2015 turn to head back toward the winner’s circle, that Jugette when Kakaley overtook Southwind feeling is what we all strive for.”

3 U N F O R G E T T A B L E

Harness racing insiders share some of their favorite racing memories BY SKYLER KRAFT

Most fans are longtime fans and have incredible race, an incredible horse.” seen countless races, but there are usually one or two The horse Settlemoir is referring to is Life Sign, that stand out above the rest. These moments – the steered by Hall of Fame driver John Campbell, who horses, the drama, the incredible finishes – are etched turned in one of the greatest pacing performances of into our brains and become cherished memories. all time. The duo went back-to-back record-setting We’ve asked several industry leaders to share their miles in consecutive heats, narrowly defeating rival favorite harness racing moments and here’s what they Riyadh in the final in an unforgettable effort. had to say. “When John got in the winner’s circle with Roger (Huston), Roger said I’m standing next to the guy, the Jason Settlemoir, Meadowlands winningest driver in the sport of harness racing and General Manager and USTA Director he’s shaking like a leaf,” Settlemoir said. “There was It was 1993 and Jason Settlemoir was spending just a lot of great horses in that race, and Life Sign the third Thursday after Labor Day like he always was unbelievable that day.” had; joined by his father, settled into chairs on the backstretch of the Delaware County fairgrounds, ready for the Little Brown Jug. Julie Miller, Trainer “It was funny because all my schoolteachers, Julie Miller was standing outside her barn at the everybody knew where I was the third Thursday after quarter pole during the 2015 Little Brown Jug when Labor Day and they actually started asking me for she heard the crowd begin to roar. tickets,” Settlemoir said. After a tough elimination, Wiggle It Jiggleit faced This September Thursday, however, would be the off against rival Lost For Words in the final. The two one Settlemoir remembered for the rest of his life. battled for the entire mile and the finish was one for “It was just one of those unbelievable races that the ages. Miller watched the race unfold and could not makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up and take her eyes off the finish line. it certainly did that day,” Settlemoir said. “It was an “When you have the top two or three horses that

4 PHOTOS BY MARK HALL race, how the eliminations went and everything, it set up for a great, great race,” Miller said. “And then it delivered.” Wiggle It Jiggleit surged in the final moments to best Lost For Words in 1:49.3. The gelding’s remarkable performance captured the heart of the harness racing world. “I think it was a great race,” said Miller.

Dave Brower, Meadowlands Handicapper It was the 2001 and Dave Brower was broadcasting from The Meadowlands, located on the apron near the finish line. A palpable energy filled the venue. “It was just a sensational buzz kind of race,” Brower said. “I kind of kept moving from watching Varenne in the stretch to watching the crowd and how they were just completely going nuts and flying flags.” Varenne went a remarkable 1:51.1, a world record at the time, sweeping the competition by more than four lengths to become the first European trotter to win a Breeders Crown final. “It was the way he won. He just dominated our best American trotters,” Brower said. The Breeders Crown was Varenne’s first and only race in the United States, but he left an impression that endures nearly 20 years later. “It was a joyous, joyous moment,” Brower said. REMEMBER ME: Harness racing experts have witnessed “Such a magnificent victory.” some incredible moments by some incredible champions including (clockwise from left to right): Varenne, Life Sign, , and Wiggle It Jiggleit (below). Michael Carter, Co-host of the “Mike and Mike” show Inside the mutuels office at Northfield Park, Michael Carter and his “Wiggle It Jiggleit was a gutsy horse,” Carter said. colleagues eagerly watched “But we never knew what Always B Miki was going the television broadcast of the to be like until he was tested. When he came up to 2016 Jim Ewart Memorial Wiggle It Jiggleit he really pounded away and the two at Eldorado Scioto Downs. of them went blow for blow.” “It was one of those races That testing led to Always B Miki setting the track where your jaw kept hitting record with a time of 1:47 and propelling him to the floor,” Carter said. victory over Wiggle It Jiggleit. It was a race Wiggle It Jiggleit and Always that had the crowd on the edge of their B Miki were battling it out seats the entire time and sent them all the way to the finish. erupting into cheers. Wiggle It Jiggleit, having “I never knew who was going already earned a reputation to win,” said Carter. “It was as a fierce competitor, was amazing to see the speed matched stride for stride by they had.” Always B Miki.

5

YOUTH BEATS / SEPTEMBER 2020 Standardbred Spotlight Photos and art from kids in harness racing

Send us your stuff!

Illustration by Duane Mast

Illustration by Henry Shetler

8 Illustration by Bowie Turner

Hey Kids! Want to see your picture in Standardbred Spotlight? Submit your photos or drawings to Youth Beats editor Jason Turner: 6130 S. Sunbury Rd., Westerville, OH 43081-3909.

9 youth bits

DARKE ADVENTURES Ohio fair racing provides education and excitement BY MACY HOWELL

In 2006, the Great Darke County Fair was 150 years At first, I didn’t quite understand or really like old. It was my first time attending and I have not harness racing but the more time I spent with my missed a year at the Great Darke County Fair since. dad and the horses at the track, the more I began to Fairs have always been an important part of Ohio understand and enjoy it. Now, when I have free time, and I share lots of fun times with my I will go to the track with my dad to help him and go family and friends. to as many races as I can. The past few summers, I have been lucky enough When working in our stable, it is my to share in my family’s excitement by being in responsibility to pick all of the stalls the winner’s circle multiple times. I love seeing clean, then refill them with fresh wood all the hard work result in a victory. I started shavings, scrub the water buckets and working with horses when my dad got into fill them with fresh water, pick the the racing business in 2017 and by 2018 we horses feet, and put conditioner on had several Standardbred racehorses stabled at their feet. I brush their coat and comb the Darke County Fairgrounds. their mane and tail out. I also feed and

10 PHOTOS COURTESY OF HHYF sweep up the barn before I leave. I am also proud to be president of the Racing Rookies 4-H club. The club gets to travel for races and go to fun hands-on events that help us understand more about the horses, how to take Pictogram care of them, and what is best for them. We had the opportunity to have a field trip when we went to Washington, Pa., to watch the 2019 Adios at The Meadows and meet Roger Huston. Last summer some of us participated in the HHYF FUN One of FUNthe games inside the new HHYF youth camp at the Darke County Fairgrounds activity boxes is deciphering pictograms. where the instructors taught us how to properly groom the horses and how to correctly put on Here are some easy harness racing ones to the equipment, and also allowed us to jog the get you started. Visit www.hhyf.org to Trottingbreds around the track. I can’t wait for the check out more information about HHYF to come back so I can take part in the camp the boxes and how to order! again. 1 2

+T

Another name for sulky Used for jogging horses Answer: ??? Answer: ???

3 4

GREAT MEMORIES: Macy Howell has had a lot of great times at the Great Darke County Fair since her first visit in 2006, including multiple trips to the winner’s circle with her family and friends.

One of my fondest memories of harness racing in Darke County was when our pacer Hunchie Money won in a race A driver’s “uniform” won his race! We had all of our family come down Answer: ??? Answer: ??? and get in the winner’s circle picture; it was a huge crowd of 53 people in the picture! 5 6 I also really enjoyed the time when my 4-H group got the opportunity to do the post parade for the race at the fairgrounds. Our 4-H supervisor, Emily Hay, organized an event. We all got dressed up in different drivers’ colors and we were allowed to ride around the track on the sulky with the horse. I look forward to learning more about harness Overcheck attachment Steering wheel racing from both 4-H and the HHYF. I am blessed Answer: ??? Answer: ???

to learn and grow with the Great Darke County Fair. Lines 6. Hook Water 5. Colors 4. Purse 3. Cart 2. Bike 1. Answers:

11 harness heroes

Jonathan Kersey knew this was his pacer’s one of Craft’s horses qualified for a race in favorite track. He recognized the potential. Cleveland, Ohio, the same day Ogradys First Yet, surprise settled over him as he watched Man was set to race in the Michigan Breeders the race unfold from the paddock. His 5-year-old Colt Stake final at Northville. gelding, Ogradys First Man, had suddenly begun “So, I got to take him by myself and he won to pull away at the three-quarter mark, gaining it,” said Kersey. the momentum he would need to carry him As a result of that experience Kersey caught forward and win a tight race. the training bug. What he wasn’t expecting, “A wild moment. My grandpa turned however, was to have the opportunity to train to me and said, Ogradys First Man ‘Congratulations. I on his own. He also am proud of you,’” began working with said Kersey. the pacer Eloquent That first-place Velocity. finish on Sept. 28, “My favorite race 2019 at Northville was my first training Downs was a career start in Indiana with first for the 18-year- Eloquent Velocity old trainer who at Hoosier Park,” obtained his training said Kersey. “Trace license earlier in the Tetrick was driving. year. Kersey’s quest I explained her style to become a trainer to him, and he drove was inspired by his her perfect. She had a grandfather, Mike really good mile and Cogar. took second.” “The memories of Kersey is thankful my grandpa at the for the mentors he’s track, that’s what had that have given made me realize I him the opportunity could see myself as a to have success early. trainer,” said Kersey. His grandfather; Growing up, trainer Marvin Kersey attended races Smiles for Miles Craft; and trainer with his grandfather Young horseman honors Richard Lindsey all throughout Michigan, had a major impact getting first-hand grandfather with first win on the young trainer, experience with the BY SKYLER KRAFT and they help keep him harness racing scene. motivated. He said he His grandfather’s would eventually like to trainer and friend, Marvin Craft, taught him compete in the Little Brown Jug. horsemanship. Kersey spent summers lending a “My dream is to be able to do this full time,” hand and paddocking for him. Then the summer said Kersey. of 2017 rolled around and Craft asked Kersey to In the meantime, he is working hard and feels help him with the then 3-year-old pacer Ogradys encouraged by what he considers to be the most First Man. rewarding part of harness racing. “I was going to all the fairs and taking care of “The smiles I get from people at the tracks are him,” said Kersey. awesome,” said Kersey. “As young as I am, it’s An opportunity arose, however, when another nice to get recognized for (my work).”

12 PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN KERSEY Caption Capture Contest Hey, guys! What’s going on in this photo? Send us your best, funniest, most clever captions and we’ll post some of our favorite answers in an upcoming issue of Youth Beats. The Write Stuff Ask a friend to give you a word for each blank space without letting him or her see the page, then read the completed story out loud for some hilarious results!

Do you have a ______friend? Maybe even a few ______friends? Nothing is adjective adjective better than having someone ______to ______and ______with; someone who adjective verb verb

______you and always has your ______. What kinds of things do you do with your verb body part

______? Maybe you like to ______or you might even like to ______to the plural noun verb verb ______and ______for hours and hours. Maybe you like the same ______or noun verb plural noun maybe your ______friends teach you about ______, ______things. No matter adjective adjective adjective who your ______are or what you ______together, make sure you ______them plural noun verb verb well and always let them know that they are ______to you! adjective

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